This invention relates to an improved drum handling device and, in particular, to a drum handling apparatus that is capable of lifting a drum from either a horizontal or a vertical rest position and easily and efficiently bringing the drum to a new location or position.
The most pertinent prior art known to the applicant at the time of filing the present application is to be found in U.S. Pat. Nos.:
______________________________________ 2,645,372 2,971,662 3,438,523 2,755,949 3,112,835 3.522.893 2,756,883 3,191,788 3,587,892 2,832,630 3,206,052 3,623,620 ______________________________________
Many liquid or semi-liquid materials, such as chemicals, oils and the like, are placed in cylindrical drums to facilitate both handling and storage of the materials. Typically, the drums are relatively large and some type of equipment is required to lift and move the drums about. As illustrated in many of the above-noted patents, most drum handling devices involve relatively bulky and complex mechanisms that are difficult to operate and costly to build and maintain.
A further disadvantage associated with many of the prior art devices, relates to their inability to pick up a drum while it is seated in a horizontal rest position. The term horizontal rest position, as herein used, refers to a drum that is resting on its cylindrical wall with its central axis lying generally in a horizontal plane. Similarly, the term vertical rest position is herein used to define a drum that is resting upon one of its planar end walls with the axis thereof being generally situated within a vertically aligned plane. Basically most of the prior art devices engage the drum through means of a sling or a girdle that is arranged to completely encompass the drum cylinder. As a consequence, these devices are unable to effectively grasp a drum while it is resting in a horizontal position. In light of the fact that drums of this nature are some times stored horizontally or are turned in a mixer or blender while similarly positioned upon rollers or the like, the overall usefulness of these prior art devices is seriously curtailed.
Those devices which are able to engage a drum while it is situated in a horizontal rest position are usually equipped with contoured jaws that are adapted to swing over the drum and clamp about its cylindrical body. As can be seen, the jaws and the associated drive mechanism comprise a relatively large assembly requiring a good deal of overhead clearance in order to effectively engage the drum. As a consequence, this type of equipment does not lend itself for use in restricted or confined areas.